Apr 1
Protestors Descend on Gavin Newsom's Town to Push Back on His Comments about Trans People
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom drew an unhappy crowd on Transgender Day of Visibility – a protest that followed remarks by Newsom that inflamed the trans community.
Local news station KQED reported that "More than 100 LGBTQ+ rights activists and community members marched in Kentfield, the Marin County community where Gov. Gavin Newsom recently purchased a new home, on Monday [March 31] as part of International Transgender Day of Visibility, which highlights discrimination faced by trans people worldwide."
The report noted how Newsom had "split with fellow Democrats earlier this month, describing the party's progressive politics as 'toxic' and the participation of transgender athletes in female sports 'deeply unfair.'"
The report recalled that Newsom appeared on Charlie Kirk's podcast a few weeks ago for "a friendly interview" in which he "appeared to agree with Kirk regarding the fairness of transgender athletes participating in women's sports."
The marchers had a different point of view, carrying "signs that read 'Let Trans Kids Play' and 'Do Better Newsom,'" KQED relayed.
Among the marchers was Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence member Sister Shalita Corndog, who noted that the governor "has been a huge ally and advocate for so many years," and said that the queer community was "all just shocked and confused and devastated about what happened in his interview" and "wondering why he's not more explicitly in favor of and supportive of people like us."
Trans rights advocate Janna Barkin was also part of the march. She told KQED, "We plan to celebrate and to show that trans people are here. They're beautiful parts of our community, and we're here to be joyful and celebratory and visible."
Indeed, Newsom famously stood for marriage equality in California when we was mayor of San Francisco. In 2004, more than a decade before the national legalization of marriage equality, Newsom ordered the city's clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Four thousand couples rushed to obtain licenses, and weddings began taking place in celebration of the commitments between people of the same gender.
Those marriages were later invalidated by the Supreme Court – a body that swept aside state laws prohibiting marriage equality in 2015 and ushered in full legal participation in marriage by gay and lesbian couples in the United States.
Marriage equality is feared by many to be under threat once again as state legislatures renew attacks on same-sex marriage. The Supreme Court is now dominated by right-wing justices, three of them appointed by Donald Trump during his first presidency, and two justices – Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito – have openly invited a revisitation of the issue.
In his second presidency, Trump has moved quickly to issue executive orders that impact the LGBTQ+ community, with the brunt of those orders falling on transgender Americans.
"At a time when we are seeing legislators attempt to undermine everything from marriage equality to the existence of trans people to LGBTQ+ rights in the workplace, we need our allies to step up and speak out," KQED quoted the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) stating.
"This is not a moment to sit politely in the face of authoritarian bullies or throw people under the bus for political posturing," the HRC's statement added.
The march concluded peacefully – and on a high note.
"The march to Newsom's home ended in a dance party as Lady Gaga's 'Born this Way' and Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club' played," KQED said.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
